Tag: createspace complaints

I don’t think it’s any secret that Amazon owns CreateSpace. I also don’t believe it’s any secret—especially after the author uproar that occurred in April—that CreateSpace no longer offers “creative services” such as interior book formatting, cover design, editing, or the like. When they ceased offering those services, they severed the one last component that identified them as a “publisher” instead of a “content curator,” which is the role CreateSpace now plays, and is a far cry from meeting the goals of writers who dream of publication.

A perfect example appears in a recent article on the Publishers Weekly website, written by Kenny Brechner and titled “Pirating on CreateSpace,” in which he identifies very specific examples of flagrant copyright infringement by individuals (I wouldn’t call them writers) sharing (I wouldn’t call it publishing) content through the CreateSpace platform. One objective of a publisher is to protect their authors, and also prevent circumstances like the ones reported by Mr. Brechner. Unfortunately, the exact opposite objective is true for a content curator like CreateSpace. Since it’s “free” to “publish” content there, CreateSpace and Amazon value neither the content nor the authors who created it. Instead, their goal is to compile as much content as possible for the purposes of offering it—usually by giving it away or encouraging their authors to give it away through thinly-veiled “marketing promotions”—to lure new Amazon members into its Prime, Prime Video Streaming, and KindleUnlimited memberships (all of which require monthly/yearly dues, and none of which reward the content creators for their contribution).

Since CreateSpace/Amazon uses content and its creators as loss-leaders for subscriptions, they are hardly compelled to prevent copyright infringement or acts of piracy. In fact, as you can see from Brechner’s Publishers Weekly article, it was only after the article appeared on a highly respected industry website that Amazon bothered to do anything about it … and the author himself was unable to get CreateSpace to take any action at all, though not from lack of trying. And as you’ll see from the comments already piling up below the article, this wasn’t an isolated case, nor is it something that authors are willing to tolerate. Comments include phrases like:

“…this article is a wise word of caution to us writers.” – Carol Johnson

“Same thing happened to me. I discovered one of its CreateSpace books had pirated both some text and several of my photos from my website that included those texts and those photos selected from my traditionally published book.” – Mark Mathew Braunstein

In fact, the same thing happened with one of my own books, too: Publishing Gems. I discovered that it had been copied in its entirety through the CreateSpace platform without my knowledge or consent. Not only was CreateSpace selling the pirated version, but so were a vast number of Amazon Marketplace booksellers. When I contacted Amazon about the infringement, they were quick to remove it. When I asked them the name of the individual who was responsible for this act of piracy, they ignored me entirely. Then I started receiving emailed requests from all the Marketplace booksellers, notifying me that they had removed the stolen book from their virtual shelves, and asking me to “approve them” for continued business under the threat of cancellation from Amazon. Here’s the interesting part – all their emails were nearly identical, as if someone from Amazon’s legal department provided them with the exact verbiage to use to request forgiveness.

Do you know what that tells me? It tells me that copyright infringement happens so frequently through CreateSpace that Amazon’s legal department has come up with an actual procedure to cope with it.

Is that the kind of publ—er, algorithm, you want handling your books?

In 2002, Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Semi-Finalist Brent Sampson founded Outskirts Press, a custom book publishing solution that provides a cost-effective, fast, and powerful way to help authors publish, distribute, and market their books worldwide while leaving 100% of the rights and 100% of the profits with the author. Outskirts Press was incorporated in Colorado in October, 2003.

In his capacity as the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Marketing Officer, Brent is an expert in the field of book publishing and book marketing. He is also the author of several books on both subjects, including the bestseller Sell Your Book on Amazon, which debuted at #29 on Amazon’s bestseller list.

Starting with some positive news today, we recommend you check out this press release courtesy of Outskirts Press and Benzinga, a premier source for the latest in information on the self-publishing industry (among others). At the heart of this story … well, a lot of heart. A lot of love! Because it’s almost that time of year, isn’t it? And Outskirts Press is determined to ensure that those authors choosing to self-publish this year have the best possible Valentine’s Day ever! This self-publishing company, which has a history of both fantastic deals and long-term contributors to this blog, will be giving authors twenty percent off in a flash sale on its popular Full-Color and Ultimate publishing packages. That’s a pretty sweet deal–almost as sweet as the real and genuine care which this company is reputed to take with those works which pass through its expert services. Of course, we’re a little biased. But Outskirts Press has been voted #1 Publishing Company by Top Consumer Reviews, several years running!

Computing, a scrupulously reputable news engine dedicated to technology (particularly in the UK) is now reporting on further developments in the case against Amazon, which recently shuttered many of its CreateSpace services. Elizabeth covered those earlier developments in a separate blog (which you can read here) several weeks back, but it’s worth noting that the company is rapidly moving from treating its author base poorly to being downright disreputable, and that criminals have found a way to exploit the website without Amazon taking decisive action to shut them down. It’s a complicated story, and one we’ll be following closely. We highly recommend you check out Computing contributor Nicholas Fearn’s full article at the link.

As a self-publishing author, you may find it helpful to stay up-to-date on the trends and news related to the self-publishing industry.This will help you make informed decisions before, during and after the self-publishing process, which will lead to a greater self-publishing experience. To help you stay current on self-publishing topics, simply visit our blog every Monday to find out the hottest news. If you have other big news to share, please comment below.

Initial reaction from Amazon was no reaction, but breaking news followed by heated responses among throngs of individuals across various social platforms like Twitter and Facebook prompted Amazon to pull the book and underplay their own association with its publication through their CreateSpace branch.

According to CNN, Amazon’s website provides content guidelines for titles sold through its Digital Text Platform Program. The guidelines say publishers are expected to conduct proper research to ensure that titles are in compliance with all local, state, national and international laws.

Interestingly though, the book was published through Amazon’s own self-publishing arm, CreateSpace. Are more CreateSpace complaints in store for authors in the future? Does Amazon have a history of these CreateSpace complaints? It appears so according to the LA Times. It would also seem that no human being in Amazon’s largely automated self-publishing organization actually has much to do with the submission and acceptance process.

While the access to free availability of information gathering and dissemination on the web has created a dramatic democratizing effect, it remains important that content be monitored. In this case it appeared that no monitoring took place by Amazon or CreateSpace before or following the October 28 release of the pedophila book. Instead, it was the public outcry. Just two hours after Techcrunch posted news of the ebook on its site, the $4.95 ebook went from a sales ranking of 158,221 in the Kindle store to 5,668, with a stream of commentary following. Public perception ranged from outrage, to free speech support to “FBI conspiracy”.

Other books written by the same author and also published by CreateSpace remain for sale on Amazon, although the reviews for said books are taking a hit due to association alone. Are other CreateSpace authors poised to be judged by the company they keep?

Regardless of what may be true of the book, it is important we hold integrity among the publishing community and that manuscripts be vetted through a thorough manuscript review process. Ultimately this is one facet that separates the “free” do-it-yourself companies in the industry from the higher-quality professional, full-service self-publishing providers. It is in the best interest of authors, publishers, and the public.